Mother of dying, disabled boy fights to opt-out of testing…
Out. Of. Control. Scott Maxwell in The Orlando Sentinel… “Last night, I spent time with Ethan Rediske – an 11-year-old-boy who, doctors say, is in the final days of his life. His lungs are filling with fluid. The only noise he makes is an occasional moan. His parents can do little more than comfort him. Yet his mother, Andrea, had to also spend some of Ethan’s final days convincing the school offi
Blame and bully – Tampa unfairly fire special education teacher…
Kim Kuizon at FOX 13 News… “Ingrid Peavy’s dream was destroyed in a single vote. The Hillsborough County School Board ended the Pierce Middle School teacher’s career with the district after one of her ESE students slipped off school grounds and walked five miles home…” FOX 13 News Read it. More here. What do you think? Read and share comments here… The post Blame and bully – Tampa unfairly fire sp
Tech’s diversity problem Is apparent as early as high school…
Claire Cain Miller in The New York Times… “In three states, not a single girl took the Advanced Placement exam in computer science last year. In eight states, no Hispanic students took it. And in 11 states, no black students took the test…” Read it. What do you think? Read and share comments here… The post Tech’s diversity problem Is apparent as early as high school… appeared first on GoPublicScho
Can we fix the race problem in school discipline?
Molly Knefel in Rolling Stone… “… While study after study has documented racial disparities in school discipline in districts across the country, the guidance’s federal data illustrates the sweeping extent of the problem. So what can we do to make our schools fairer? The federal guidance recommends a number of best practices to ensure that schools recognize, reduce and eliminate disproportionate t
When is school reform not enough?
Ann Evans de Bernard at Education Week… “My state of Connecticut, like many others across the country, has received much attention lately for its so-called school reform movement. The movement targets primarily children of color in poor neighborhoods, using low test scores as the justification, and then creates unilateral plans for improvement, as if the children were part of some prewar colonial
NYC mayor strikes a major blow to charter schools…
Owen Davis at Alternet… “Newly elected New York mayor Bill de Blasio, wearing a broad and slightly goofy smile, dwarfs the infinitely vilified outgoing mayor Michael Bloomberg, who seems somewhat bemused himself. For 12 years it was Mayor Bloomberg, standing at the forefront of a national education reform movement, who overshadowed Bill de Blasio and his progressive ilk. Bloomberg considered New Y
Boston parents prepare to protest school budget cuts…
James Vaznis inThe Boston Globe… “Parents across Boston are mobilizing to protest possible budget cuts at their schools for the next academic year, writing letters to school and state officials, turning out at School Committee meetings, and starting a Facebook page to advocate for additional funding. The possible cuts, which vary from school to school, include classroom aides and other positions,
Parent resistance to collective standardized tests…
Nat Hentoff in the Daily Journal Online… “Huge numbers of students must take high-stakes standardized tests that may shape the rest of their lives. These tests, however, take no account of the differences among the individual students. For particular examples, the tests don’t recognize the students’ home lives, or the visual or hearing problems that have impeded their learning. Those students ofte
South Dakota – Low pay leads to lack of teachers…
Rachel Skytta at KDLT.com, South Dakota News “School districts across the state are reportedly having trouble finding qualified teachers. A recent survey sponsored by the Associated School Boards and School Administrators of South Dakota shows a majority of superintendents are experiencing the problem, and pay could be the cause…” Read it. What do you think? Read and share comments here… The post
VA – Bill undermines science, teachers
An editorial from the Virginian-Pilot… “The theory of evolution is science. Creationism is not. Neither is intelligent design. Both are philosophical ways to reconcile religious belief with what evidence shows about the natural world. For that purpose, America’s long tradition of religious tolerance argues there should be no quarrel. But the application of religious belief to the realm of public s
Why Vergara won’t solve the real teacher problem…
Ellie Herman in the LA School Report… “We need to look seriously at the reasons good teachers leave schools in low-income communities in such disproportionate numbers. It’s a common misconception that teachers leave because of the students themselves. But though the work can be challenging, it can also be also be uniquely, profoundly rewarding. When I taught in South L.A., I was so frequently move
Portland teachers’ union: Subs bullied by PPS…
It may get ugly soon in Portland as a possible strike closes in… From KOIN in Portland… “The back-and-forth wrangling continued Tuesday, as the teachers’ union accused the school district of ‘threatening and bullying Portland substitute teachers.’ The Portland Association of Teachers announced in a news release that it filed a labor complaint with the state Employment Relations board against Portl
2-4-14 GoPublicSchool.com « An open discussion of public school issues. GoPublicSchool.com
GoPublicSchool.com « An open discussion of public school issues. GoPublicSchool.com: New! Must read Ani McHugh!Ani McHugh from her must-read blog, TeacherBiz… “Written testimony to the NJ State Board of Education for Lobby Day–February 5th, 2014″ “I ask you to consider these questions: would you want your own children to be subjected to the reforms being implemented in New Jersey? Do any parents